Tag Archives: New York City

Fall is here! All those heavy Steampunk clothes can come out of the closet and be worn with panache!

Need some events to show off your steamy style?

Heeeeeere we go!

Steampunk November

Live entertainment, libations, games, music and more at the 2nd annual Cut Thrust and Run Steampunk November. I had the honor of being at the 1st gathering last year, MUCH fun, but small. I’ll be interested to see how much it has grown.

Two days of musical and Vaudeville-esqe entertainment, mysterious “soon-to-be-revealed Austin maker groups”, a Maker Mad Science Lab for kids of all ages to create and experiment. A little to vague in its description for my taste, but, meh still sounds neat. They have a good music line up such as…

Marquis of Vaudeville, Shakey Graves, and the Darwin Prophet.

Family Friendly, but watch out parents, after 10 on Saturday things get feisty.

An amazing two day extravaganza celebrating fabulous Burlesque! Just on night one there will be over 40 performers with over six hours of entertainment lined up for your viewing pleasure! (If I were in New York Friday I would totally be there).

The Exhibition is a collaboration between the Derbyshire Steampunk and Time Travellers Guild and The Nottingham Steampunk Social in the UK.

The Exhibition actually began in October, and runs through November 18th. So if you find yourself twiddling your thumbs go check out the fabulous show of artwork that this Exhibition highlights, sure to be a fabulous adventure!

Alright my steamy friends I hope you have a chance to find some Steampunk excitement this fall. And my apologies (yet again) for my internet absence.

It has been going to good use. I have been actively working on my upcoming novel. It is in the editing stages. It is tedious, but to see it coming together is truly exciting. You’ll recognize a character or two from my short story Animatae’s Shadow.

This past week photos were released of the abandoned subway in New York. I

New York Subway

found the pictures on Huffington Post rather inspiring as a writer, so I wanted to share.

There was something reminiscent of Steampunk. The whole affair got my grey matter’s cogs turning. Wouldn’t it be neat to see what other subterranean areas there are lurking beneath our heels?

If you are a fan of Steampunk fiction you are already aware that there is usually a tone of slight creepy abandonment that lies somewhere within most novels. Thus abandoned subterranean exploration is making its début on The Top Hat Exchange.

New York Subway Tunnel

Apparently the world is riddled with underground abandonment, living tunnels, roads and workstations that look like they have jumped right out of the pages of epic Science Fiction.

West Norwood Cemetery has tunnels full of coffins stuffed into crevices, man-made shelves, and simply laying out on the ground. Exploring the deteriorating pine coffins and sturdy mahogany resting places of the dead might appeal to many out there, I think I will pass.

The spectre of ghosts and goblins still scare the wits out of this writer.

That is correct, the Magic Kingdom has a whole system of underground tunnels that their employees use. Not only do Disney employees walk through the passages connecting kitchens, dining areas, and offices but the tunnels are large enough for motorized vehicles.

So as your little girl poses next to Cinderella for a Kodak moment, somewhere beneath your Birkenstocks lurks a truck creeping through the underground tunnels delivering chicken the Disney cooks will prepare for your lunch or dinner.

Pembrokeshire, Wales

Real life Hobbit House anyone? Yes please. This fantastical home has fresh

Welsh Hobbit Home

water running into it (by gravity only) from a nearby spring and all the materials are local. The exception is the plumbing. Recycled materials were saved from the bin for that…seriously. I love this house and the minds that put it together from renewable and recyclable materials.

Japanese researcher Shun Akiba found an old map of the Tokyo tunnel system.

Japanese Spaces

The old map did not match the current maps. As he researched further more and more inconsistencies were found. It all points to hidden spaces underground. Sounds like the beginning of a novel doesn’t it? Well the Japanese government denies any hidden underground spaces. But check out these pictures of acknowledged Japanese subterranean spaces.

Subterranean Japan

There are many, many more subterranean wonders around the world. I could easily ramble on but I will refrain.

I mention these because I found these particular wonders awe inspiring as an on-looker and as a writer.

Anything that sparks my imagination is (of course) interesting to me and deserves more research.

As much as I find all these wonders awe inspiring there is something almost suffocating about them. C’mon it’s all underground! I could be buried alive!

If you would like to explore under the earth further please follow the links below for more eerie underground wonder.